The New York Times’ Connections puzzle for January 19th (#953) proved challenging for many, with unconventional groupings and a particularly obscure purple category. This daily word association game tests players’ ability to identify thematic links between sixteen words.
Puzzle Overview
Connections presents players with a 4×4 grid of words. The objective is to group the words into four sets of four, where each set shares a common theme. The game ranks the difficulty of the categories by color: yellow (easiest), green, blue, and purple (hardest).
Today’s Hints
Before revealing the answers, consider these hints:
- Yellow: Relates to a lack of experience.
- Green: Centers around wealth and currency.
- Blue: Concerns fundamental units used in science.
- Purple: Follows the phrase “quick…”
Today’s Solutions
The correct groupings for Connections #953 are as follows:
- Yellow (Inexperienced): Budding, fresh, naive, new. These terms all describe a state of immaturity or lack of prior exposure.
- Green (Money-faced emoji): Bundle, fortune, mint, wad. All describe large amounts of money, often used informally.
- Blue (Measured by SI units): Current, length, mass, time. These are fundamental physical quantities measured using the International System of Units (SI).
- Purple (Words after “quick”): Fix, sand, silver, study. These words complete the phrases “quick fix,” “quick sand,” “quick silver,” and “quick study.”
Game Statistics and Past Challenges
The New York Times now offers a Connections bot to track player performance, including completion rates and streak data. This feature adds a competitive element for dedicated players.
Past puzzles have demonstrated varying degrees of difficulty. Puzzles #1–#5 included groupings such as “things that can run” or “streets on screen,” which required lateral thinking. The increasing complexity suggests the puzzle designers are intentionally raising the bar for future challenges.
The game remains popular due to its daily availability and blend of vocabulary, logic, and pattern recognition. It is a simple yet engaging mental exercise.
